Should I get a Trainer or not?

[dapper]

I have been lifing and eating right for 7 months. I am 5'8" tall, 42 years old.When I started I weighed 196 lbs, and my waist was 42". Today I weigh 210 lbs and my waist is still 42". I have gained 4.25 total inches in my measurements. I have gone from eating between 1600-2500 calories a day. Basically 40/40/20. I did try a keto thing for a month and gained 4 more lbs. I have gotten my diabetis under control and my cholestrol has gone from 252 to 107. For some reason I have shown no improvment in over 7 months working. I know the diabetis and cholestrol is improvement. I mean physical improvement or appearance. I mean lifting 5 days a week (different body part each day, only work a body part once a week. Usually take 30-40 lifing daily including rest between sets, I do not count warm-up time) I also do 30 min cardio at target heart zone for fat burning 4 to 6 days per week. Sometimes I get in 7 days but lately I have just plain done nothing but rest on Sundays.

I use a max-ot lifing plan but instead of 4-6 reps I do 6-8 reps. I don't think I have been lifting enough or have enough experience to do the 4-6 rep thing. I think I need to build some muscle and have more experience and learn about my body before I start a real max-ot plan.

To not make this any longer I am wondering if I should get a Trainer. One of the trainers at my gym is a really nice guy. I can ask him anything but I don't like to take advantage of him since he gets paid for training. He is always stopping and helping people if he sees them doing something wrong to show them better form. He will also show people other ways to do things to see if you can feel something more whichever way. He is no skinny minny. He has a nice build and I have seen him workout. When he starts he don't stop he walks around the gym between sets I believe to keep his heart rate up.

But anyways I am getting nowhere on my own. I have told countless people of what I eat (I also have fitday and I post everything I eat)

[bradford]

I say yes. I have been working with personal trainers for the last 5-months and have seen the best results I've ever had. I've picked up size throughout my entire body and look much better than I did before - I have always been skinny so picking up size is a big deal for me.

Having the trainers has made me push myself more than I ever would have on my own and made me much more confident in the amount of weight I can handle and my technique.

I have one more month with the trainers and then I head back out on my own, but I will do so in a much better position than I was just 6 months ago.

I say, if you can afford it and you can hire someone good, go for it! It's well worth the investment of time and money.

[pict]

i think it's a waste of money unles you just want the motivation factor.

if you were totally new to weight training it might be worth a few (FEW) sessions just to have proper form shown to you. a lot of the more obscure variation exercises, as well as the more explosive movements need a bit of coaching.

[gumbo32]

Having the trainers has made me push myself more than I ever would have on my own and made me much more confident in the amount of weight I can handle and my technique.

Exactly

Trainers not only show you how to lift, they can motivate and teach you what you need to achieve what you want. You're not hiring someone to change your body, you are hiring someone to teach you how to change your own body. Once you get the basics down "Diet, cardio, and rest", you can continue on your own or keep him employed.

Considering your situation, I'd say if you can afford it, afford it for a few months then re-evaluate.

[Baldsnake]

Trainer is a good idea to get you on the proper path. In days of old we had no trainers...just the gym floor manager who helped everyone who asked or looked like they were in trouble. After a month with a trainer you should be on your own from there on. Observation, reading and common scense should be all you need. If you feel you must keep paying for a trainer then look into self motivation issues. A good trianer should cut you loose anyway at that point...other wise I call it the "Rent-a-Friend" syndrome.

[Gunn27]

I think the answer depends on where your program is lacking. If you can honestly say you are working out hard and getting cardio in, then I suspect that it is the nutrition side that needs the adjustment. Or maybe there are other issues like lack of rest & recovery, or too much stress, etc? If that is the case a Personal Trainer may not be the answer. I'm not saying this is the case, just something to consider before handing over your money.

Maybe you could post a link to your FitDay profile and some of the nutrition experts could take a look at that for you? Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Charger]

dapper,
After reading your post my first reaction is great job!! Health should be your first concern and you are doing a great job! BUT!! there is part of the problem with your mass. It is hard to near impossible to cut fat and build bulk at the same time. I know, there are those that will say I am wrong and I am, you can do both but at a very slow rate.
In order to add any real size you need to eat more cals and more protein. It is also important when you have post workout protein. Running is also taking away from your mass, so if adding mass is your goal, then you need to change some things.
Do I think you need a trainer?? No. Just from reading your post I see you have taken some time to educate yourself and as far as motivation goes. Anyone who can get to the gym 5 days a week to lift and do cardio as much as you are does not need any motivation. When are you doing your cardio?? Hopefully not after your workout.
Here is my suggestion, change routines. Not that Max-OT is bad, it's a great routine but I believe it is good to shock your body now and then and do routines that are the complete opposite of each other. Try a workout that includes drop sets and strip sets for awhile and really tear down your muscles.
Also change your diet and eat more cals and eat more often. How many times a day are you eating??
There are some folks on this site that can give you some really good nutrition ideas so don't be afraid to ask for help.

[jtroster]

I learned the most from two places (both of equal importance):
- My once a week trainer.
- This forum

[dapper]

I eat 5 to 7 meals a day Monday thru Friday. Saturday and Sunday I eat probably 4 to 5. I don't watch how many meals I eat on the weekends. For one Like this morning I overslept and didn't wake up till 11am. I would have usually had 2 meals in by 11am. So I won't eat again till probably around 2 or 3 pm. and then I will eat supper and a late night or before bed snak. Being diabetic I am supposed to eat before bed to try and limit what the liver induces into the body to keep the blood sugar down.

I do my cardio after I workout. I have tried to do it in the morning but I can't get up to get to the gym and back to get breakfast and then be ready for work. I usually don't get into bed till around 11:30pm to midnight. After I lift in the evenings by the time I get home fix meal #6 or #5 depends if you count the after workout protein drink as a meal, then get everything cleaned up and get 4 meals preped for the next day I have about an hour to actually relax.I have tried fixing supper before I workout then I have to wait to go to the gym get home from there, I know it is probably not much different but I just don't seem to work as well on that schedule. Maybe that is what I need to do anyways is to eat my supper before I workout and not between 8 and 9pm M-F.

Cardio I do for Fat Burning. From what I have read and learned Fat Burning Cardio is supposed to be low intensity. So for me 220-42=178 x 50% or 70% should be a heart rate of 89-124. I use fat burn on the treadmill and keep it at 116 for 30 minutes. Sometimes and not everytime it depends on how much time I have left in the evening I will do 15 more minutes on the stationary bike. I don't do the elipticle machine because of medical reasons. Degenerative Disk disease. So I have places where there are no disks and my legs go numb and there is a lot of pain that shoots down my lower back to my ankles. So really doing squats and leg presses, and standing calf raises, actually anthing that aids in compressing the back is probably not that good for me which means I would have to give up lifting. There is nothing the doctors can really do. Put some steel rods in my back and do some bone fusion which will greatly reduce my physical range of movement. I enjoy lifting and I really believe if I can build my lower back up the muscle will greatly aid in my problem.

I think that answers your questions.

I really don't want to spend the money on a trainer, it's just that after 7 months nothing has really changed. Meaning the tape measure. I really don't care about gaining muscle I just don't want to lose the muscle not that there is much there anyways. So the main thing is to lose fat. I do know that adding muscle helps boost the metabolism. So I try and keep my workouts between 30-40 minutes from the time I start my first set. This does not include preworkout stretching or I go through warmups. Like for Legs I do 2 sets on the leg extension machine, then I start out with 95 lbs and do 8 rep squats, each set I move up like 10 lbs till I get to my starting weight. Now the 95lbs will probably go to 115 this week since my squat sets will move to 185 3 sets of 8 reps. My legs should be good and warmed up by that time.

Working only one body part a day means I only warm up one body part a day or do tri's with chest so doing the chest stuff and sticking the Dips right before I start the tri's then my tri's should be ready by the time I start them, I do Back and Biceps on same day and put chins in before my bicep sets for same reason.

So I think I have maximized my gym time.

Also I stopped a max-oy routine over a month ago and did some other routine for over a month. I never got the same feel as I had on max-ot but yes I wanted to change things up so now I am back for another 12 weeks of max-ot or least a makeshift one since I use 8 reps instead of 4-6.

Oh I almost forgot.

Fitday!! I bought the program so I have tried to see if there is a html side of it so I can post it I don't want to print every day then run it through the scanner then post it like that. Takes more time than I need for myself. If I find a way to get it posted I will.

[geriatricmuscle]

Good trainers help to produce good clients. If you need a trainer to meet your goals, get a trainer. One aspect I might have miss in the above posts, is to meet a workout partner. Someone a little ahead of you or at least as driven as you. Good partners naturally do two things; 1. push each other and 2. understand mutual goals. And it could be fun and give you something more to look forward to then just showing up at the gym.....now someone is waiting to push you through a great workout.

something to think on..
gm

[Jim_Gym]

A trainer is a good idea to try for a little while if you can afford it. Do a couple of sessions each week for different body parts with a trainer and see if you can learn new routines, good form and good habits. I used a trainer for over six months and it helped me get started into the fitness lifestyle. I lift weights four days per week now and do some other form of excercise like cardio or boxing one or two more days per week and I have made a major physical transformation. All this was only possible with a complete change in diet too. I eat really healthy now and even cook for myself nowadays which is something I never did before.